DECATUR -- In the autumn of 1621, the first settlers from the Mayflower expedition celebrated the colony's first bountiful harvest during a feast that lasted three days. Fifty-six colonists and 91 natives celebrated their survival through an extremely harsh winter that year. This was the story that students of Decatur Pre-K school heard, as Joyce Turnage, dressed in traditional Pilgrim clothing, recounted the story of the first Thanksgiving feast.
Students of Holly Denton, Rachel Duncan and Joyce Turnage gathered in their classrooms Nov. 22 to relive the fall harvest much as the early Pilgrims had experienced. Some students wore native head bands while others wore Pilgrim hats and bonnets which they made by hand earlier in the week.
"Do you know, boys and girls, that the first Thanksgiving lasted three days?" asked Turnage.
Although the bountiful harvest the Pilgrims celebrated was an offering to God for helping them through the winter, the Thanksgiving we observe today was put into place in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November be celebrated as Thanksgiving.
The meal was prepared and served by each teacher and their aides, Joanna Ramirez, Sheila Verser, Ashton Young, Melanie Banta, Joel Martin and Nicole Roberts. Once the children were all served and the many family members and guests were served, it was time for the feast.
With the children and teachers gathered around the table and family members seated around the classrooms, it was time to settle down to enjoy the bountiful food gathered before them. Turnage offered one final thought.
"Let us all be thankful for what we have received," Turnage said.
General News on 12/14/2016